Tuesday’s special election will decide who will be San Diego’s next mayor after months of campaigning and debates. The U-T San Diego Editorial Board recently asked two prominent San Diegans to cite the top 10 reasons to vote for their favored candidate for mayor. They were asked to include at least one lighthearted or humorous reason. Writing on behalf of Kevin Faulconer is advocate for the homeless Father Joe Carroll, the founder of St. Vincent de Paul Village.

At one time the city was on the verge of bankruptcy and Kevin joined Mayor Jerry Sanders to pass Proposition B to stop bleeding from the city coffers. He showed leadership, close collaboration and the courage to take on the issue of entitlements. This saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars that can now be used for much-needed services for the citizens of San Diego.

The citizens of San Diego voted to put city contracts out for bid. Kevin Faulconer has championed this issue, trying to lead the council on following the desires of the people.

In the recent resignation of former Mayor Bob Filner, instead of taking the usual partisan approach, Kevin worked in collaboration with the council president and city attorney to make it a quick and speedy transition for the city.

When Kevin walked down the streets with me to greet our homeless neighbors, he would squat down and talk to them face to face. He wasn’t afraid but was interested in their stories.

He has a nice haircut.

I have been working for our homeless neighbors for 30 years. Since that time I have had battles at City Hall on trying to expand services to our neighbors in need. These past eight years, Kevin Faulconer has quieted the debates so that now all sides work together to help solve the issue and help so many more neighbors in need.

Recently Kevin and I were walking around downtown and he noticed that since I am in a scooter that the damages on the sidewalk were giving me trouble. He mentioned that sidewalks needed to be in the infrastructure project. This will enable the disabled to travel in our neighborhoods.

As a member of the city council for the past seven years, Kevin Faulconer has gained valuable experience during difficult economic times for the city. This experience will help him move along and lead the city in future years. His learning curve will be very fast as mayor.

I find Kevin has a minimum ego and is very easy to deal with. He listens to all, and then seeks collaboration and takes action for what he believes is best for the future of the city.

The bottom line is that I am going with the man of experience. The momentum that the city of San Diego is going in after the disastrous effects of our last mayor could have set the city back years. Instead, we are moving along to a collaborative team and I want to continue making use of Kevin Faulconer’s experience, excellence and leadership for our city.